Dean Slams Bush's Policies on Mexico (in Mexico today) [View All]

[madfloridian]

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051017/API/510171259

Howard Dean traveled south of the border to meet with Mexico's presidential contenders Monday, and lashed out at the Bush administration's policies on Mexico.

Dean, the Democratic National Committee chairman, claimed President Bush "turned his back on Mexico" after it refused to support the Iraq war.

The former Vermont governor told The Associated Press in an interview that "a strong Mexico and a strong Mexican economy fixes a lot of the problems between the two countries, particularly immigration and narcotics."

"We ought to have a partnership with Mexico" Dean said. "President Bush has lost ground in the relationship."

White House officials referred calls for comment to the Republican National Committee, which couldn't immediately be reached.

"Traveling with Dean were Reps. Xavier Becerra of California and Raul Grijalva, whose Arizona district includes hundreds of miles of Mexico-U.S. border."